AlphaTauri Boss Opens up on the ‘Champions Mentality’ in Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is undoubtedly one of the toughest drivers on the grid. His dedication to the sport is such that he has developed into a perfectionist on the track. The credit for this extreme transition definitely goes to the Red Bull team and also to his parents.

Max was bred into the tracks. Hailing from parents engaged in motorsports, the Dutch lad joined karting at the tender age of 5. Since then until today, it has been an extremely educative journey for the Red Bull #1.

Max’s dad used to race in Formula 1 from 1994 to 2003. His mother has also been a successful karter, and it goes without saying that both have an active role in shaping Max to be the racer he is.

The Red Bull Chief, Franz Tost, recently opened up on how Verstappen was molded to what has become a sensation in F1.

“I think,  one of the most important facts is the dedication his father, Jos did. He started karting being five, six years old. The mother was also karting very successfully.

“That meant he grew up in the environment of karting, of motorsports. And you can see this because nothing can surprise him anymore.”

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Franz Tost believes  Max Verstappen is destined for great things

Franz Tost was the key element in introducing Verstappen to F1 way back in 2015. He recalls how people had mocked him in his decision. Obviously there were some doubts about promoting a 17-year-old to F1. However, the Australian expert knew what he was doing.

“I remember back when they all said ‘you can’t do this to bring a 17-year-old into Formula 1 now’. He was 17 years old on paper but from his driving experience, he was maybe 22, 23, or whatever in comparison to other drivers.”

Tost is certain that Verstappen is destined for great things. However, for great things to happen, you will need patience. The Dutchman is certainly working on that bit. The Red Bull man believes that Max is one of the most competitive racers on the grid and is just a time bomb ticking away.

“If you look at his overview during the race, how he reads the races, then he could have won the championship already a couple of times. He can immediately react to info from his engineers, he knows exactly what the strategy of direct opponents, what they’re doing.

“And he’s reacting in the way champions are doing.”

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